The present application relates generally to an apparatus and method for testing a manual transmission. In particular, the present invention provides an apparatus and method for evaluating the shifting characteristics of a manual transmission. The present invention can be used for either prototype or production-line testing.
Due to the complexity of automatic transmissions and the possibility that a defective component has been used or an assembly error has occurred, automatic transmissions are typically tested either during or subsequent to the production process. Such testing can eliminate the need for removing and replacing a defective transmission after it has been installed in a vehicle, which can be an inconvenient and time-consuming task. Testing devices appropriate for this purpose are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,391,131 issued to Scourtes and entitled Transmission Testing Apparatus and Method, and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,520,659 issued to Lucia et al. and entitled Transmission Tester.
However, the testing of manual transmissions has historically not been done with such testing devices. Typically, such testing has been done by a human operator who positions an assembled transmission which is to be tested in a test stand for supplying power to the transmission input while simultaneously loading the output. The operator then manually shifts the transmission through the various gear ranges, while subjectively evaluating the transmission based on shift feel and sound.